Review: If I Die in a Combat Zone Box Me Up And Ship Me Home

If I Die in a Combat Zone Box Me Up And Ship Me Home by Tim O'Brien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the kind of war book that feels like stories told to you by a new friend you're getting to know: they feel revealing, and raw, and painful but also a bit charming. The mix of just-a-regular-guy and the very skilled writer makes you think he's got it all exactly right, as if there could be only one perspective on such an experience. This and Herr's Dispatches are the two best memoirs I've read on Viet Nam.

I also recommend Going After Cacciato and The Things They Carried

Personal copy

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